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Advice needed: Shoot/No Shoot decision making

11-30-2007, 10:41 AM

Well, it happened again to me during password night.

I was having a decent round, my buddy and I did a 2-man fireteam and prowled around looking for enemy RPs out on the perimeters of our map. We had just scratched 3 enemy soldiers when I looked up and saw the 4th, clearly a Dragunov rifle (we were Marines). I put my front sight on his forehead and fired a round only to discover a team kill. This marksman was literally 10 feet away from the last enemy soldier I had shot, and I sat there stunned that he was friendly. I, of course, said I was sorry (and was still punished for it..oh well it was a very blatant kill), and got kicked from the server because I dropped the f-bomb on teamchat in frustration (pardon me swearing like a Marine).

This decision took me half a second to make, and usually that's all the time you have. This is not the first time something like this has happened - in fact it happens at LEAST once a round to me, and it's ruining my reputation.

So how can I work on my target recognition skills? In the meantime, I'm going to be taking 2-3 seconds to study my target before firing in the near future. This will, undoubtedly, get me dead-ed more than once, but I'm sick of looking like an idiot and hurting my team.

First, dont feel so bad. EVERYONE TK's people. Everyone. From the newest player to the most veteran to the devs themselves. I usually TK people once or twice a round. Granted I usually play medic, so I can revive them as well. But people are always going to punish you for accidental TKs. Thats just life. Take the score hit and move on.

Believe me, it's not ruining your reputation.

Comment

I usually can tell but just looking at their stance. If you can somehow find a way to compare models from a distance (before the kit renders on your screen) you can see that some models hold the gun, run and stand differently. Though, I don't know if that's because of the team they're on or because of the gun they carry. hmmmmmz..

Haikus are easy.
But sometimes they don't make sense.
Refrigerator.

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You made the right call. except for the cursing, but it happens. I usually order my squad to shoot first. especially in a situation like the one ya were in, lookin for a rally or bunker. if ya kill a teammate, usually just try and apologize, but if they punish its no big deal.

"Peace isn't merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice"

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Call it the "fog of war" - crap like this happens all the time. Apologize and move on - hopefully whoever you shot is gracious enough to accept your apologies and forgive. We've all been there, done that.

Learning to identify legit targets comes with time. I find a couple of things helpful, and they all revolve around situational awareness:

1) VOIP communication from my squad to identify enemy targets
2) q-spot first, shoot second. even if you die, you've helped your team because you've identifed a threat for them
3) pay attention to the mini-map - this aids situational awareness tremendously by following the ebb and flow of the battle - you begin to anticipate the location of the enemy
4) Move with your team, not against them - be prepared to be shot if you are approaching your team (not your own squad) from the same direction as the enemy.

In the case you've described, I can understand how it would be a case of mistaken identity.

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O Cold Viking....Taboo!! You did not investigate the situation. You should have given a "S.M.E.A.C" report to the higher authorities. Followed by a "S.A.L.U.T.E." report to the "JFCOM", then we all could have gotten a "WARNING ORDER" to be initalized after the "AOR UNITS" decided to act upon it. Now we have to call in a "CASEVAC", (Hope you remember all the line items) to help the poor sap you mistakenly wounded, and since you are down 1 man, now you need to "CFF" to support air units in and out. Dont expect any "NAM" because this rates a "B.C.D" (Big Chicken Dinner) ***Be careful, sometimes we use the weapons the insurgents use" :-) Just Jokes Viking.

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Don't feel bad about, because it do happen to everyone. I can only imagine, that like everyone else, one seek to figure out in that split second how to act - you too faced that situation. If unsure - shoot. Look at it this way, have you not been in a similar situation when you have been unsure regarding if that player aiming at you is a freind or foe and you have not fired immediately, only to find yourself dead a few seconds later? Humanity is overrated.

I can only speak for myself, but if I were to be killed in a situation like that, I would understand that mistakes do happen under circumstances like that.

sigpicThe Royal Lifeguards

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Heres the thing, most of the respectable players around here will never punish for a TK unless it's REALLY intentional. Most of the time, we dont even punish for that, we just grab an admin and have the problem fixed, and by fixed, I mean someone gets the boot. But the masses of uninitiated players that play here are oh so quick to punish for any stray bullet that comes their way. I had a guy punish me yesterday (he was IN MY SQUAD) after I put slams on the citadel door at seven gates to blow it and he decided to run down and lay in front of the door...after I had said over VOIP "slams on the door, get back" at least 6 times. Cant help stupid people. Just let it ride.

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haha i had almost the same thing happen but it was on Qwai River at mine.....had c4 on the door.....and said "Move blowing the door" 10 times!... then two idiots decide to run at the door as i blow it.....so yada yada i get punished and kick off your server nice!!!!!.lol

and i have died many times just trying to figure out if it's a friendly, part of life!